There is an ongoing effort in many industries to lighten the weight of articles. In many instances, this is achieved by the selection of materials that have a lower density, thinner section thicknesses or both, as compared with prior materials or structures. As a result, there is a potential for the weakening of structures, and the consequent need for stiffening or other structural reinforcement.
In the field of automotive vehicle manufacturing it is common to employ structural reinforcements within cavities of the vehicle body structure. For instance, it has become common to employ within a cavity of the vehicle body structure a relatively rigid molded polymeric carrier that carries an activatable material on one or more of its outer surfaces. For certain activatable materials, upon being activated (e.g., by the heat from a coating bake oven), the activatable material can expand and bond to a surface defining the cavity.
In order to selectively control the properties of the article reinforcement structure, it has been taught to use hybrid reinforcement structures that include a combination of multiple materials for the carrier. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,430,448, hereby expressly incorporated by reference for all purposes. See also, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Application No. WO 2010/054194, hereby expressly incorporated by reference for all purposes.
In the automotive vehicle industry, the use of computer modeling (e.g., finite element analysis) has been employed for simulating a vehicle crash, and for modeling how a particular section of a vehicle will respond to the crash. Such modeling can be utilized to determine appropriate locations for the placement of reinforcing structures.
Notwithstanding the above efforts there remains a need for alternative carrier structures. For example, there remains a need for alternative carrier structures that employ a combination of different materials that, even though they are dissimilar, are still generally compatible (e.g., chemically and/or physically compatible) with each other so that they can be joined together without the need for an adhesive, a mechanical fastener, or other means for physically joining two or more different materials. There also remains an ongoing need for alternative carrier structures that employ a combination of different materials that each contains a substantial polymeric portion (e.g., a non-metallic portion) so that weight savings can be attained. There is also a need for polymeric materials that can be combined to increase the overall modulus and flexural strength of a reinforcement, such that it exceeds that of any of the materials on their own. There also remains an ongoing need for alternative carrier structures that employ a combination of different materials that join together at an interface region that is generally continuous with the portions of the carrier defined by the different respective materials. There also remains an ongoing need for an alternative carrier that can employ one or more localized reinforcement regions by use of a particular material within the carrier, and which may be achieved in the absence of a need for a structural feature (e.g., a rib) for imparting additional strength to the localized reinforcement.
Examples of composite structures are illustrated in PCT Publication No. WO2007/008569, United States Published Patent Application Nos. 2011/0039470 and 2012/0251863, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,581,932 all incorporated by reference for all purposes. See also, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,855,052, 7,125,461 and 7,318,873, and United States Published Patent Application Nos. 2003/0039792, 2010/0289242, 2011/0278802, and 2009/0202294, incorporated by reference for all purposes.
The present application also is related to and incorporates by reference for all purposes Great Britain Patent Application No. 1318595.4, filed Oct. 21, 2013.
Further to the above, thermoplastic polymers having at least one epoxide group have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,115,075; 4,438,254; 6,011,111; and PCT Publication No. WO98/14498 (see e.g., pages 3-8) along with illustrative synthesis conditions, all incorporated by reference herein (see also U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,317,471 and 4,647,648, also incorporated by reference herein). Examples of such materials also can be found, without limitation at paragraphs 15-25 of Published U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0270515 (Chmielewski et al), incorporated by reference for all purposes.
The use of such thermoplastic polymers in a composite material has been disclosed in PCT Publication No. WO/2008/010823 (addressing in situ reaction of an epoxy and an amine after impregnation), incorporated by reference herein. Notwithstanding the above, there remains a need for alternative composite materials. For example, there remains a need for composite materials that are suitable for use in a carrier for a baffle and/or structural reinforcement for a transportation vehicle of a type exemplified in the above discussed patent publications. For example, in instances where it may be desirable to locally alter or improve a property of a carrier material there remains a need for alternative materials suitable for such purpose. There also remains a need for materials that allow for recycling, reclamation and/or re-use beyond the useful life of the material in its intended application. See also, United States Patent Application No. 2009/0298974 (incorporated by reference).